In this world, there’s a tricky race that revolves around ‘concepts,’ like Unicorns.
It’s not that they’re annoying in terms of power.
They’re beings that ‘arbitrarily judge their opponents.’
From the moment they see someone, they decide how to act and what kind of personality to adopt based on their clear criteria.
It’s not like they just think and judge alone, as that would be too easy, but they’re also completely bothersome to just leave alone.
They only operate within set frameworks, so in a way, they can be seen as the most transparent race.
And sometimes, concepts can even ignore the truths of the world.
“Seriously.”
That was a rough comment.
I’m usually careful about what I say unless I’m on a broadcast or alone, but this time was an exception.
How can you look favorably on a race that arbitrarily digs through even Celestials and Demons?
Of course, even if they dig, it doesn’t mean they can defeat them.
In fact, they suffered near annihilation due to their arrogance.
Even I, having traveled through countless continents and worlds, have rarely seen them, and I’ve only seen the Unicorn once.
A bright white spiritual body and a dazzling multicolored light.
A long, single horn. Eyes full of pure white. A horse… or rather, a child of purity.
“Oh! You are so pure! It feels like looking at a pristine white snowfield that has never been disturbed!”
“However… that snowfield is not just made up of the current body, is it? Something I cannot know is covering it.”
“But don’t worry! You are perfectly pure, whether in the ‘past’ or ‘present.’
“I hope you can maintain this purity forever…”
…I’m amazing for stopping myself from almost killing it.
How did I hold back?
It’s hard to believe I didn’t smash its head in.
What’s more infuriating is that I had hope for that damn child just because it vaguely knew about my ‘past.’
I thought, maybe it knows something about this system and the world.
“Know something? Hell no. It didn’t know anything. That crazy Purity Freak could only see ‘purity’ at a godly level.”
It’s just an ‘ordinary’ race that can’t even defeat low-level Celestials other than just observing.
That makes me even angrier.
If only that power could be wielded in a more forceful way.
If only the ability to see right through the world could threaten Celestials and Demons.
If that ‘concept’ could have been used more correctly.
“The world wouldn’t have fallen apart like this.”
Heh heh heh~!
“…Uh. Lady Lily, could it be…?”
“Shut up.”
“Yes.”
Blak hesitated, almost wanting to say something, but ended up closing his mouth.
Then, as if trying to change the subject, he swung his greatsword wide, catching the unicorn’s attention.
The unicorn exuded hostility, a stark contrast to the gaze that had been directed at me.
‘I’ll smash your head…’
“I’ll take on the unicorn. In the meantime, Lady Lily will handle the core—”
“No.”
He took out his hammer.
It wasn’t the red shell from before, but it gleamed with a striking red hue.
“I’ll break it.”
I was already itching to smash that head.
Boom! In an instant, my body soared into the sky.
From my height, I could see that damn horse head.
In the midst of that, the unicorn looked at me, and its hostility vanished.
Now, let’s smash that head.
‘Smashed?’
Smashed!
Blue ice enveloped the hammer.
The ice condensed, condensed, and then exploded with intense magical power.
“Lady Lily!”
“Pfew… Safe!”
Leo appeared alongside the ice.
Then, a dinosaur landed on top of the unicorn, cutting through the sea of white vapor that enveloped the area.
The dinosaur clutched its head, feeling dizzy.
“Ugh… Don’t throw me…”
“Avoid it yourself!”
“Huh? W-wha—”
Before the dinosaur could finish its sentence, a black slash flew toward it.
The slash grew larger, transforming into a colossal crescent moon shape.
The dinosaur quickly tried to concentrate.
“Defense!”
Hiiiinng!
Although the perfect being had appeared, it didn’t like its master, yet still obeyed the pure and noble unicorn.
A transparent shield of all colors appeared, absorbing the black slash.
Despite numerous enhancements, the unicorn’s entire body shook for just a moment.
Even if it wasn’t the true World Boss, it must have gained considerable power to be this formidable.
“…These monstrous beasts are something else.”
“Good! Just hold it down!”
“Huh? Aren’t we fighting together?!”
The dinosaur shouted toward Leo, who flew far away, but there was no sign of her returning.
Instead, she conveyed the rational reason.
“The professor is still intact!”
A gigantic hammer swung through the center of the explosion.
An overwhelming strike burst forth with a white light.
Leo, fused with the Ice Spirit, utilized the technique of the ‘Half-Spirit.’
“Ice Statue.”
Kwang! The ice-turned Leo shattered in an instant. The fragments were again struck by the hammer, vanishing once more.
The fragment was once again struck by the hammer and annihilated.
In that moment, Leo thought.
What if that destroyed statue was not a clone but the main body…
Leo’s throat tightened as he instantly moved behind Lily.
“Huh!”
The tips of Leo’s fingers began to move.
The reason he chose to use the Ice Spirit instead of relying on the power of the Light Spirit, which he had painstakingly contracted.
The frozen heart declared its end.
“Absolute Zero.”
Crack, crack, crack!
The absolute cold that extended from Leo’s hand froze Lily’s body.
But it didn’t matter.
Lily’s body was one that flowed with divine and celestial blood, a powerful physique even demons envied.
It wasn’t a body that could be frozen by a mere cold “thing.”
Knowing that, Lily watched without taking any special measure, curious about how impressive it could get.
Leo smiled at the reaction he had expected.
“This is revenge for the assignment, Professor.”
Rather than using his right hand that was emitting cold, Leo moved his left fingertip in a graceful arc.
Mana moved. The flowing mana took a route different from the one predetermined by the system.
Splish.
The cold formed a circle.
The circle that broke free from its mold caused cracks.
Snap, snap…!
“…?!”
The tips of Lily’s fingers turned icy blue.
“Hehe.”
Leo boldly declared an ‘invasion’ into Lily’s flesh.
■
In the moment Leo was absorbed in the unicorn, I had momentarily forgotten about his existence.
When I regained my senses, I was swept up in the explosion created by Leo.
I had taken some damage, like many other rankers, but nothing fatal.
In fact, compared to Leo’s status and current situation, I was much weaker.
There was no way Leo could be this weak.
So, after observing the situation for a moment, I swung the hammer.
Ice shattered, and Leo appeared from behind.
In an instant, an unnerving blue cold tried to engulf my body.
‘Not yet.’
Still not enough.
Could it really be this weak?
Just as I was feeling a disappointment that wasn’t quite disappointment.
“This is revenge for the assignment, Professor.”
The flow of mana surged.
Blue mana. The sight of the chilling flow of mana moved independently, arrogantly twisting part of my body.
The tips of my fingers turned a chilling blue.
I stared at Leo with a dazed expression, unlike myself.
She continued to laugh softly while not stopping the emission of cold.
This doesn’t make sense.
How could she, merely having learned to control mana for such a short time, influence not only the teleportation but also the opponent’s body?
It’s been how long since I got a handle on teleportation, and now I’m even affecting my opponent’s body?
To be precise, it’s not his body, but a part of the mana, and the influence is only about the size of a finger joint, but what matters is that I did it.
At this level, it’s almost like ‘manifestation’ beyond teleportation.
“I’ve achieved something I haven’t even taught yet.”
Is it because she’s not human?
I checked Leo’s status.
Half Nymph, half Spirit.
Moreover, both sides are closer to spiritual races than ordinary ones.
From the start, she wasn’t human, so fundamentally, she was already different from other users.
In a way, it makes sense, but it shouldn’t be that obvious.
“That’s amazing. Really amazing.”
“Hehe. The revenge is just starting now. Now I can’t just whip out assignments randomly, I’m now a powerful—”
“I’ve gotten curious about something more fun.”
Swish…
The fingers return.
All the chill that surrounded the area dissipates, and the mana that was helping Leo now looks at him hostilely.
In contrast, I seemed to be loved by all the mana.
“Oh dear?”
“Mana is like a blade. When it’s extended toward an opponent, it’s unwaveringly strong, but just changing direction can turn it into a threat.”
So you have to be careful.
“The direction of the blade can always change.”
“Pro, Professor?”
“You’ve gone beyond what I prepared. At this level, I think it’s time for ‘that.’”
If it’s Leo, he might be able to handle it better.
If he grows just a bit more, maybe…
He might even be able to ‘assist’ me.
There might be some progress in my magic that was stuck at ninety-seven overlapping magic formulas…
Reading my expression, Leo seemed to have a horrific thought and quickly backed away, calming the icy energy.
“Don’t, don’t come near me, monster! You, you’re trying to make me a grad student!”
“…Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Ugh… I can’t let this slide! I’m going to eliminate Lady Lily here!”
“A grad student? A grad student…”
I’ve seen those around the Academy in the Empire.
Always trailing behind the professor, exhausted…
“Well, it might be similar?”
“…….”
The power of light settled into Leo’s body.
The second battle, where fate hangs in the balance, has begun.
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